What passengers do with themselves when a person with very aggressively expressed grievances with the world is sitting next to them on the No 15 to work has been a conundrum since the first horse-drawn omnibus left its Salford garage nearly 200 years ago.

Now the nation’s bus manufacturers are to give passengers the power to stare at their smartphone or tablet with real intent, after providing a commitment to deliver the largest British order for wi-fi-enabled buses.

FirstGroup has ordered 464 single and double deckers to be delivered by Britain’s three busmakers: Alexander Dennis, of Scotland, Wrightbus, from Northern